Wonderful write up, Matt, and great photos. The M and E work there kind of stinks, in my opinion. The 2nd hole isn't good for normal (non Open) players, and the 7th and 8th holes add length but have no soul. The 4th, 5th, and 6th are amazing holes on the front side though. While everyone talks about 5/6, I thought the back nine was exceptional. Great hole after great hole. Calamity has to be seen in person to be believed. Also, if you are visiting for the first time, the Seafood Chowder (served with Guinness bread) in the upstairs bar is a word-class elite golf lunch! One of my favorite comments in The Confidential Guide was when Tom Doak called the Valley Course at Portrush the "hot little sister" - Ha! He is right - the Valley is amazing and shouldn't be missed if you visit.

Great article leading into the weekend. I'll be interested to see how the course plays!

Awesome stuff, Joseph. Great write up. Like Dale Miller said, appreciate the depth of US Open Coverage. Encourage you to share your weekly/select tournament picks as much as possible on either here or the SGS. Maybe the SGS has a weekly "The Boys Picks" Segment?

That's going to be amazing. I was rewatching some of the 2019 coverage and was thinking how the grandstand between 13 and 17 feels like a no-brainer to hang at for a while. I'm not sure if you could also see tee shots on 18 from the top row?

Awesome write-up. I am attending the Open with my family next month, kids included. Besides walking the entire course during a practice day and getting a lay of the land, what are the best spots to post up and watch for a while when the kids tire of walking? I got some ideas from this write-up, but I obviously don't know what will be roped off and where grandstands will be, etc. If anyone went in 2019 and has advice, I'd love to hear it! Cheers

Loved playing here and can't wait to see it in action again. Great review. Add the Bushmills Distillery down the road as a great place to replay every shot in your head while doing a shot for every one you wish you had back...

And I write that as a fan of Yeamans Hall, Tobacco Road, Pinehurst 10 and Pacific Dunes.

Last I heard, the "Olde Course" will reopen in the 2026-27 range. I believe construction is underway. They also recently completed a short course.

Loved playing the Dog Bowl here in 2023, can't wait to get back post-reno

I played this week. We had a two 15s, a 9 and a +2. Conditioning was thin and greens were hard. Conditions made it hard to enjoy the design. It's clearly a private course that guests have access to, meant for repeat play, versus a resort course. Even the caddies were confused, frequently letting players hit into bunkers that were hidden without warning. I was there with a group of about 70 guys, and Lido was everyone's least favorite course at the resort. Give it a couple years to grow in, and I think that will change. And I do believe that improving the caddy program will help resort guests.